Movement for animated toys



Jan. 8, 1952 FIELDS 2,581,584

MOVEMENT OR ANIMATED TOYS Filed July 10. 1951'? INVENTOR ERNEST FIELDS ATTO RNE Patented Jan. 8, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOVEMENT FOR ANIMATED TOYS Ernest Fields, New York, N. Y.

Application July 10, 1947, Serial No. 7 60,079

10 Claims. 1

This invention relates to movements for toys, particularly to movements for animated toys intending" to perform abrupt, rocking gyrations.

One object oftheinvention is to provide a toy figure which simulates playing movements of a living being.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy figure which simulates the playing of a figure with a toy.

Another more specific object of the invention isto provide a toy figure which simulates the playing of an animal with a ball or similar toy.

A still more specific object of the invention is to provide a toy figure which simulates an animal reaching with its paws for a ball and playing with the same.

Other and further advantages, features and. objects of the invention will appear hereinafter and be pointed out in the appended claims forming part of the application.

In the accompanying drawing, several now preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevational section of a toy animal with a movement according to the invention.

Fig. 1A is a modification of a detail of the movement.

Fig. 1B is a second modification of the same detail.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the movement, the upper part of the anima1 body being removed.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the movement, and

Fig. 4 is a section along line'44, the toy being shown in. one of its possible positions.

Referring now to the figures in detail, the toy is shown as simulating thebody Of a cat l hav ing its front paws H, l2 stretched out. A suitable toy, such as a light ball. I 3, is fastened to paw 12 by means of a string I 4.

The body' of the cat may be pressed of sheet metal or be made of any other suitable material. As will be evident many other animals can be simulated and also a playing child in a corresponding position. The underside of the cat is formed by a plate l which also serves as base plate for the movement generally designated 16. This movement comprises a casing I1 fastened to the base plate by any suitable means. Casing ll serves as bearing for a winding stem 18 which is also held by plate l5 as can best be seen in Fig. 1. Stem I8 supports a conventional spiral spring I 9, one end of the spring being fastened to the stem and the other end at 20 to casing [1. Stem [8 further supports a gear 2| which meshes with a pinion 22 on an axle '23 which also supports a gear 24. Gear 26 meshes with a second pinion 25 fastened to a rotary shaft 25. This shaft is extendedthrough base plate It and the extended portion 21 thereof is bent oil substantially parallel to plate l5 and spaced therefrom. The length of portion 21 is preferably greater than the width of base plate I5. The end portion of extension 21 supports means which tend to increase the friction or adhesion between the said end portion and the surface 28 upon which the toy is placed, These means are shown in Fig. 1 as a rubber sleeve 29 slipped over the end of extension 21.

A similar effect is attained according to Fig. 1A by bending oil and serrating extension 2! at 3B or tapering the bent off end of extension 2'! at 3| as shown in Fig. 1B.

As will be evident, the center of gravity of the cat is kept near the plate l5 by reason of mounting the movement directly on this plate. Such 10w position of the center of gravity tends to stabilize the toy during operation.

The movement is wound in a conventional manner by means of a key. Of course, winding stem and key can be combined.

Let it be assumed that the toy is wound and placed on surface 28 as shown in Fig. 1. When now the shaft 26 is released and begins to rotate, the extension arm 21 will not move uniformly due to the substantial friction of rubber sleeve 29 on surface 28 but will rotate by more or less unequal and abrupt steps. As a result, the body of the cat will make rocking movements about the correspondingly varying center of rotation constituted by rubber sleeve 29. Furthermore, the center of rotation will be sometimes below the body of the cat and sometimes outside thereof. Hence, the cat body will tend to tilt from one side to the other.

By these various abrupt and irregular movements, the impression is created that the cat is jumping after the ball and is trying to reach the same with its paws. As a result of the tilting movements, it appears as if the cat would reach first with one paw and then with the other for the ball.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to certain now preferred examples and embodiments of the invention it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and it is intended therefore, to cover all such changes and modifications in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An animated toy figure comprising a movement including a rotary axle, and a base plate supporting on one side said movement, the other side of the base plate forming the bottom of the figure, said axle being extended through said base plate and bent off at the bottom side of the plate closely adjacent thereto so as to form a one-arm lever disposed substantially parallel to said bottom side and rotatable about the rotational axis of the axle, said lever in conjunction with the bottom side of the base plate providing continuously varying resting points for the toy figure when the same is placed upon a supporting surface and said lever is rotating, thereby imparting to the toy figure varied rocking movements.

2. A toy figure comprising a movement, an elongated base plate supporting said movement, and a rotary axle included in said movement and arranged to be rotated by the same, said axle being extended through said base plate and bent to form a one-arm lever extending substantially parallel and closely adjacent/to the base plate at the side thereof opposite to the movement supportingside and rotatable about the rotational axis of said axle, the length of said bent-off axle portion being greater than the distance between the point of passage of the axle through the base plate and either long plate side, said base plate forming the bottom of said toy figure.

3. A toy figure comprising a movement, an elongated base plate supporting said movement, a rotary axle included in said movement and arranged to be rotated by the same, said axle being extended through said base plate and bent to form a one-arm lever extending substantially parallel and closely adjacent to the base plate at the side thereof opposite to the movement supporting side and rotatable about the rotational axis of said axle, the length of said bent-off axle portion being greater than the distance between the point of passage of the axle through the base plate and either long plate side, said base plate forming the bottom of said toy figure, and friction means provided at the end of said extended axle portion.

4. A toy figure as described in claim 3, wherein said friction means comprise a rubber member fastened to the end of bent-01f axle portion.

5. A toy figure as described in claim 3, wherein the end of the extended axle portion is tapered and shaped to engage with its tapered end a surface upon which the toy is placed.

6. A toy figure as described in claim 3, wherein the end of the extended axle portion is serrated and shaped to engage with said serrated end a surface upon which the toy is placed.

'7. An animated toy comprising a movement, an elongated base plate supporting said movement, a rotary axle included in said movement and arranged to be rotated by the same, said axle be- 4 ing extended through said base plate and bent to form a one-arm lever extending substantially parallel and closely adjacent to the base plate at' the side thereof opposite to the movement supporting side and rotatable about the rotational axis of said axle, the length of said bent-off axle portion being greater than the distance between the point of passage of the axle through the base plate and either long plate side, said base plate forming the bottom of said toy figure, and a hollow body simulating a figure supported by said base plate and positioned to conceal said movement. I

8. An animated toy comprising a movement, an elongated base plate supporting said movement, and a rotary axle included in said movementand arranged to be rotated by the same, said axle being extended through said base plate and bent to form a one-arm lever extending substantially parallel and closely adjacent to the base plate at the side thereof opposite to the movement supporting side and rotatable about the rotational axis of said axle, the length of said bent-off axle portion being greater than the distance between the point of passage of the axle through the base plate and either long plate side, said base plate forming the bottom of said toy figure, and a hollow body simulating an animal in lying position supported on said base plate and positioned to conceal said movement, the base plate simulating the underside of the animal.

9. An animated toy comprising a movement, an elongated base plate supporting said movement, a rotary axle included in said movement and arranged to be rotated by the same, said axle being extended through said base plate and bent to form a one-arm lever extending substantially parallel and closely adjacent to the base plate at the side thereof opposite to the movement supporting side and rotatable about the rotational axis of said axle, the length of said bent-off axle portion being greater than the distance between the point of passage of the axle through the base plate and either long plate side, said base plate forming the bottom of said toy figure, a hollow body supported on said base plate and positioned to conceal said movement, said body being shaped to simulate an animal figure lying on its belly and having rigid front paws, a ball-like toy, and a string fastening said ball-like toy to one of the front paws of said animal.

10. A toy figure as described in claim 1, wherein said base plate and said movement supported thereon are structurally combined. 7

ERNEST FIELDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

